Repainting your Ford Pickup’s Fiberglass Tonneau Cover
You have just bought yourself a discounted fiberglass truck bed cover for your Ford pickup truck when you realized the shade does not match your truck. While going through all the red tape just to have it shipped back and replaced is not an option and buying a new one is a waste of money, you are left with only one choice: have it repainted. While it may be as easy as going to the nearest autodetailing shop in your vicinity, the price is often too high and impractical. Who wants to blow off $400 to have a 2nd hand or discounted tonneau cover repainted anyway? Hence, learning to paint the fiberglass tonneau cover yourself is the cheapest way to go.
Now, before you start re-painting your Ford tonneau cover, you need to know the color code of your pickup truck, if you are planning to match your tonneau cover with the color of your truck. You can refer to your truck’s documentation. Once you have the color code of your truck, you can set off to the nearest store for the paint, primer, a 600 and 800 grit sand paper, some tack rags and a clear coat for a glossy finish. Also, as fiberglass tonneau covers tend to be very heavy, an extra hand would be recommended to dismount the tonneau cover from your truck bed.
To start, remove the truck tonneau cover from your truck bed. Using a 600 grit sand paper, sand the tonneau cover while holding a running water hose over the sand paper. This will keep the paint or primer buildup from the tonneau’s surface, which could scratch your tonneau cover’s surface. Rinse the tonneau cover for a few minutes before sanding yoru tonneau cover again, this time with an 800 grit sand paper. While sanding the tonneau cover with an 800 grit sandpaper, keep hosing the surface to avoid the buildup from staying on the surface of your tonneau cover. The 800 grit sand paper will clear out any scratches left behind by the 600 grit sand paper. After that, rinse the tonneau cover again to remove any paint or primer residue, then allow to dry completely.
Once it’s dry, wipe the tonneau cover with a tack rag to remove any residue or leftover paint and grime from the surface as these can be seen underneath the paint. Start with a thick coat of primer over the tonneau cover and allow the tonneau cover to dry for about 30 minutes. Once dry, you can start with about three to five thin coats of paint. Leave the tonneau cover for another 30 minutes before applying three to five coats of clear coat paint. The clear coat paint should be left to dry for about four to five hours before reinstalling the tonneau cover on your truck bed. Also, when spray painting, it is advisable to hold the sprayer about six to eight inches away from the tonneau cover’s surface to avoid runs.